Alt text vs SEO: the hidden clash

The digital landscape often forces us to reconcile conflicting priorities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the debate over alt text. For accessibility advocates, alt text is a tool for inclusivity, helping screen-reader users navigate the web. For SEO experts, it’s a mechanism to drive traffic, enhance rankings, and boost discoverability. But these goals don’t always align—and the tension between them has created a frustrating contradiction for content creators.

Is alt text about human usability, or is it about algorithms? Let’s break it down.

The accessibility-first argument: usability above all

For users relying on assistive technologies, alt text plays a vital role. When written well, it provides critical context that allows users to understand images that would otherwise be inaccessible. But accessibility is not about box-ticking or blanket rules—it’s about enhancing usability.

According to guidance from organisations like the Nielsen Norman Group (NNG), alt text should serve a specific purpose. If an image communicates unique information that isn’t available elsewhere, it needs alt text. If it’s decorative, repetitive, or already described in surrounding text, adding alt text can actually detract from the user experience. For screen-reader users, redundant alt text creates unnecessary noise, slowing them down and diminishing the value of a page.

The SEO perspective: optimise everything

From an SEO standpoint, alt text is another way to make content more visible to search engines. Including keywords in alt text can improve image indexing, help drive traffic from Google Image Search, and boost a page’s overall relevance for specific topics.

The problem? SEO advice often applies a one-size-fits-all approach: “Add alt text to every image.” This strategy makes sense for search engines, which rely on metadata to understand content. But it ignores the fact that unnecessary alt text can frustrate human users. What helps an algorithm doesn’t always help a person.

Where the contradiction lies

This creates a stark contradiction. Accessibility advocates argue for context-sensitive alt text, applied only where it adds value. SEO experts often push for blanket implementation to maximise ranking opportunities. The result is confusion: should we prioritise inclusivity for human users or optimisation for search engines?

Here’s where the real problem emerges: excessive or poorly thought-out alt text can harm both goals. Users with disabilities may find redundant alt text disruptive, while keyword-stuffed or irrelevant alt text may get flagged as spam by search engines. Both scenarios hurt your content’s effectiveness.

Striking a balance: where accessibility and SEO meet

Balancing accessibility and SEO isn’t easy, but it’s not impossible. Here are some guidelines to navigate the contradiction:

• Prioritise meaningful alt text: Write alt text that describes the image’s purpose, not just its appearance. For SEO, integrate relevant keywords naturally, but don’t force them.
• Skip decorative images: Use a null alt attribute (alt="") for purely decorative images. This respects screen-reader users by minimising unnecessary interruptions while signalling to search engines that the image isn’t meaningful.
• Leverage captions and context: If an image’s content is already explained in the surrounding text or captions, there’s no need to duplicate that information in alt text.
• Understand your audience: For task-oriented users (like shoppers), concise, task-specific alt text can improve both usability and efficiency. For SEO, focus on images that contribute to search intent rather than optimising every visual element.
• Test usability: Incorporate accessibility testing into your content workflow. Tools like screen readers and accessibility audits can help you evaluate whether your alt text adds value or creates unnecessary noise.

The provocative truth

Here’s the reality: the contradiction between SEO and accessibility often stems from laziness. It’s easier to apply generic advice—“alt text for every image”—than to think critically about what serves both users and search engines. But the web doesn’t need more filler text. It needs thoughtful, user-focused content.

By writing alt text that prioritises usability while being mindful of SEO, you can create a better experience for all users—and, ironically, improve your SEO in the process. After all, search engines are evolving to value usability over keyword-stuffing. The better your site serves real people, the more likely it is to perform well in search.

So, the next time you’re writing alt text, ask yourself: am I helping users, or just feeding the algorithm?

Choose wisely.